Fridae

After King and the Clown and 4:30, we welcome
yet another gay-tinted film to our cinemas. The Unforgiven
is a good Korean drama about a feminine-looking young man (Suh Jang-Won)
who is drafted into the army for compulsory national service. He
has great difficulty adjusting to military life until he meets Ha
Jung-Woo, one of the senior officers who was a former schoolmate
of his. The two men become very close to each other, and the film
hints strongly of a homosexual attraction. The emotionally-fragile
Suh soon becomes very dependent of Ha, seeing him as more than just
a big brother. When Ha's service is up and he leaves the army, Suh
is at a loss...

Written and directed by first-time helmer Yoon Jong-Bin, the film
won several awards at the 10th Pusan International Film Festival
(arguably the biggest in Asia). Critics and audiences were impressed
by Yoon's sensitive portrayal of male friendship and life in the
barracks.

The two lead characters, Suh and Ha, are exceptionally well-drawn
and believable. Because this film is the first for Yoon and shot
on a very low-budget, technical problems abound. The images are
somewhat soft and murky, while the script is draggy in parts. Still,
The Unforgiven is the best movie to catch for gay men who
are serving or have served their national service. It shows army
life in all its hellish glory. And it makes you wonder what happened
to the friends you made there, whom you haven't called in years.